Carlos S. Alvarado has a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Edinburgh, and holds masters degrees in parapsychology (MS, John F. Kennedy University), and in history (MA, Duke University). His work has centered on studies about the history of psychical research, and on survey research (on out-of-body experiences and other psychic experiences). Alvarado is a Research Fellow at the Parapsychology Foundation, and Adjunct Research Faculty at Sofia University (formerly Institute of Transpersonal Psychology). He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Near-Death Studies and the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, and he is Associate Editor of the Journal of Scientific Exploration, and the Book Review Editor of the Journal of Parapsychology.

Alvarado is also the recipient of the 2010 Parapsychological Association's Outstanding Contribution Award, the 2017 Parapsychological Association's Outstanding Career Award, and of the 2010 Harold and Sherry Crasilneck Award for Best First Paper on Hypnosis published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. Regarding publications, Alvarado is one of the editors of Research in Parapsychology 1993 (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998), and the author of booklets for introducing parapsychology to the general public (Getting Started in Parapsychology. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 2002; Apuntes para una Introduccin a la Parapsicologa. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1999). He has published over 340 articles in publications such as: Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, History of Psychiatry, Journal of Psychology, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Journal of Parapsychology, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, Journal of Scientific Exploration, and the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.